Without the assistance of the arcs from the hundreds of towers, the city’s lethality against the insects was instantly halved. More and more insects descended layer upon layer onto the black light barrier, causing the restriction to hum and visibly fade at a rapid pace.
“We must intervene to save this city!” Han Li frowned and suddenly declared.
Upon hearing this, Silvermoon nodded in understanding.
“Brother Crab, to resolve this trouble swiftly, I may need your assistance as well,” Han Li turned and addressed Crab Daoist.
“No problem,” Crab Daoist replied calmly.
Han Li smiled slightly, then flicked his sleeve, releasing a swirl of spiritual light. Three miniature Extreme Mountains reappeared before him in a flash.
He then formed a single-handed seal, and golden light erupted behind him, revealing the three-headed, six-armed Vajra Dharma Form.
As he channeled his magic, the Dharma Form’s six eyes snapped open, and a dragon-like roar erupted from its three mouths.
The deafening roar shot straight into the heavens, transforming into invisible sound waves that surged toward the distant sea of insects.
It was unclear what mystical technique the Vajra Dharma Form had employed, but the demons of Black Gourd City were startled by the roar. Before they could even locate its source, they suddenly noticed that the insects, which had been frenziedly attacking the barrier, either exploded en masse or plummeted from the sky without warning.
In an instant, nearly a third of the insect swarm was obliterated.
The remaining insects buzzed chaotically, thrown into disarray.
At that moment, a ripple appeared in the sky, and three colossal peaks materialized above the insect swarm.
With a thunderous rumble, the peaks descended simultaneously.
In the next instant, waves of light, countless sword auras, and swirling halos ravaged the insect sea.
Vast swathes of insects were effortlessly annihilated by the three mountains, with only a few unusually large and powerful insects managing slight resistance before frantically fleeing toward the edges.
But then, a thunderous crack echoed through the sky as a thick silver arc flashed into existence. With a single flicker, it sliced through over a dozen of the giant insects.
The massive creatures let out mournful cries before disintegrating into ash, along with nearly a thousand ordinary insects nearby.
As the silver lightning dissipated, a young man in Daoist robes appeared in midair—Crab Daoist.
After a brief glance at the remaining giant insects in the distance, Crab Daoist’s body crackled with electricity before he transformed into another lightning arc and shot forward.
Wherever the thunder passed, countless gray insects were obliterated.
With an earth-shaking boom, a towering, thousand-zhang-tall shadow of a giant emerged from the void on the other side of the insect sea—the three-headed, six-armed Vajra Dharma Form.
Han Li’s true body stood at its center, hands clasped behind his back, his expression indifferent as he surveyed the surrounding insects.
Now, the colossal Dharma Form was covered in countless purple runes. With a sweep of its six arms, dense clusters of silver fireballs shot in all directions.
Where the silver flames landed, they expanded into vast seas of fire, each covering acres of land and engulfing swarms of insects.
Both ordinary and giant insects shrieked and writhed upon contact with the flames, only to vanish into nothingness moments later.
With Han Li and Crab Daoist joining the fray, the seemingly endless insect swarm was being slaughtered at an astonishing rate.
Yet, the ordinary insects displayed no fear of death. Abandoning their assault on the demon city’s barrier, they hurled themselves at Han Li and Crab Daoist in suicidal waves.
Despite the duo unleashing several rounds of devastating techniques, it still took them the time of a single meal to clear the surrounding void of insects. A few giant insects, sensing the tide turning, had already fled.
Han Li had no interest in pursuing them. With a gesture to Crab Daoist, he descended slowly toward Black Gourd City.
Meanwhile, Silvermoon flew over unhurriedly from a distance, arriving beside Han Li in a few flashes before descending together.
The countless demons in Black Gourd City had been stunned by Han Li and Crab Daoist’s earlier display. Witnessing the insect swarm being single-handedly eradicated by just two individuals, the city erupted in deafening cheers.
As the trio descended, several high-ranking demons hurried forward without waiting for Han Li to speak. After reprimanding the surrounding demons, they respectfully opened a gap in the barrier and welcomed the three inside.
“We pay our respects to the Sacred Ancestor! We offer our deepest gratitude to both seniors for saving our city and its millions of inhabitants. May we inquire about your esteemed names? The people of Black Gourd City shall forever remember your great kindness.”
A black-robed middle-aged man at the early Body Integration stage bowed deeply to Han Li and Crab Daoist, his face filled with gratitude.
The ordinary demons nearby had already prostrated themselves in neat rows the moment Han Li entered the city, not daring to look up at him or Crab Daoist.
To ordinary demons, Sacred Ancestors were akin to deities. The sudden appearance of two such beings in their city left them both awed and overjoyed.
“There’s no need for you to know our names. Where is your city lord? Have him come see me,” Han Li commanded indifferently.
“Reporting to the senior, our city lord expended much of his energy earlier in the battle against the insect swarm and is currently recuperating in his residence. But I have already sent someone to inform him. He should arrive shortly to pay his respects to you, venerable senior,” the demon man replied cautiously.
“Very well, I shall wait here. As for the rest, they may return to their duties. There’s no need for them to linger,” Han Li nodded and dismissed them bluntly.
“Yes, I shall have them withdraw immediately to avoid disturbing you, senior.”
The demon man bowed hastily and ordered the surrounding demons to disperse.
The ordinary demons rose fearfully, bowed once more to the trio in the air, and quickly withdrew.
In moments, only the demon man and a few others remained nearby.
Han Li and his companions hovered in the air, waiting silently.
After no more than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a black streak of light shot up from a tall structure in the city, circled once, and then sped toward Han Li.
As the light faded, a gaunt old man in dark robes appeared about ten zhang away from Han Li.
After a quick sweep of his spiritual sense over the trio, the old man immediately prostrated himself in reverence.
“This humble one, Hu Yan, pays homage to the two Sacred Ancestors! Thanks to your esteemed presence, our city has been spared this calamity.”
“You are the lord of Black Gourd City?” Han Li examined the old man and asked impassively.
The old man was at the mid-Body Integration stage, making him a fairly capable Demon Venerable.
“I have served as the city lord for nearly a thousand years. If there is anything you require, senior, please do not hesitate to command me,” the old man replied with an ingratiating smile.
“Good. The rest of you may leave. I wish to speak with Fellow Daoist Hu privately,” Han Li nodded slightly in satisfaction before coldly dismissing the other demons.
“Yes, we shall take our leave now,” the demon man trembled inwardly but complied without hesitation.
Soon, only Hu Yan remained with the trio.
Facing two Sacred Ancestors alone, the old man was understandably nervous, though he dared not show it. He stood respectfully with his hands at his sides.
“Such a massive insect swarm couldn’t have formed overnight. When did they begin besieging Black Gourd City?” Han Li began with a casual question.
“Reporting to the senior, these insects appeared in this region several years ago. I personally led extermination efforts over a hundred times but could never fully eradicate them. For them to form such a terrifying swarm and launch a surprise attack on our city two days ago was beyond my expectations,” the old man replied anxiously.
“Two days ago… It seems these insects, though lacking intelligence, do follow some pattern in their actions,” Han Li mused, stroking his chin.
“Senior is wise! These insects are impossible to exterminate completely, and they actively merge into larger swarms. That’s why horrifying tales of entire cities being wiped out by insect swarms have become frequent in the Sacred Realm,” the old man explained hastily.
“Let’s set that aside for now. I have another matter to ask you about,” Han Li said after a moment of thought.
“Please speak, senior!” The old man bowed.
“My companion and I have only recently re-emerged from seclusion. I never expected the Sacred Realm to descend into such chaos because of these insects. Tell me, where are Yuan Yao, Liu Ji, and the other Sacred Ancestors? Why haven’t they taken action to suppress the insects? I heard they vanished mysteriously around the time the insects appeared. What exactly happened?” Han Li narrowed his eyes and asked slowly.
“Ah! So the two Sacred Ancestors have been in seclusion for many years. No wonder your esteemed presences here feel unfamiliar to me. As for the whereabouts of the Progenitor and the other Sacred Ancestors…” The old man hesitated, his expression conflicted.
“Could it be that Yuan Yao and Liu Ji are dealing with the Mother of Insects and ordered this information kept secret?” Han Li smiled faintly and stared at the old man as he spoke leisurely.
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